Briefing: October 2015

The FAA raised concerns this summer over the escalation of pilot reports of drone encounters, with 650 reports in the first half of the year, nearly three times as many as in all of 2014. Encounters occurred at altitudes up to 10,000 feet and were reported by aircraft from helicopters to airliners. Conflicts with firefighters also were on the rise. In August, the Transportation Departments Office of Inspector General said it would launch an audit to scrutinize the FAAs procedures for allowing drone operations in the national airspace.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, September 09, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Drone encounters with aircraft are sharply increasing, prompting an audit of the FAA, which is also under scrutiny for its performance in areas like pilot-records databases and operational efficiency.
General aviation fatal accident rates rose in 2014, while commercial (Part 135) operations saw a decrease; the NTSB attributed the SpaceShipTwo crash to a design flaw that enabled human error.
A replica of the unique 1930s Bugatti 100P racing airplane successfully completed its first-ever flight, though it sustained damage during landing.

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Airplane/Drone Conflicts On The Rise

The FAA raised concerns this summer over the escalation of pilot reports of drone encounters, with 650 reports in the first half of the year, nearly three times as many as in all of 2014. Encounters occurred at altitudes up to 10,000 feet and were reported by aircraft from helicopters to airliners. Conflicts with firefighters also were on the rise. In August, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General said it would launch an audit to scrutinize the FAA’s procedures for allowing drone operations in the national airspace.